'FORGOTTEN' PRISONERS NEED REMEMBERING

"When I was in prison, you visited me."

Do Jesus' words, a gentle invocation to perform an act of mercy, strike you
as galling?

Sure, we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, tend
the sick and occasionally, maybe, even take in a stranger.

But visit incarcerated losers who are getting exactly what they deserve?
Visit, even, those big baddies who are behind bars for hideous drug offenses?

Why, what kind of a twisted expectation is that?

I'll let Celia Sweet and Marilyn Reed answer, since they're the ones who
went to the Indiana Women's Prison on Wednesday, to deliver 25 bags of
clothing, shampoo and lotions for the 400 inmates there, on behalf of
Indiana C.U.R.E. (Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants).

"These are the forgotten people at Christmas, forgotten except by their
families, and even sometimes they forget," says Sweet, an employee of the
Indiana University School of Dentistry.

"We want to let them know someone cares."

What a fitting message to communicate this time of year, when loneliness
can be more of a barrier to inner peace than thick steel bars.

But why take my word for it, when you can hear it from Sweet and Reed?

Sweet is the widow of Walter Sweet, a convicted marijuana dealer who died
in 1992 of lung cancer while incarcerated.

His wife became a tireless activist for prison reform due to the poor
quality of medical care he received, including, she says, inadequate pain
medication. "It was so horrible I can't talk about it to this day," she says.

Although his family had petitioned then-Gov. Evan Bayh for medical
clemency, it was denied. Bayh's caution was based on inmate Alan Matheney,
who was granted early release in 1989, only to hunt down and kill his ex-wife.

Sweet was so ill that he could not walk across a room, but his family's
pleas still fell on deaf ears. He died behind bars.

Reed is luckier; her son John R. Reed Jr. is still alive. He was sentenced
in 1993 to 30 years for conspiracy to deal cocaine -- yes, 30 years for a
drug charge, which seems ludicrous.

As you may know, our extremely punitive drug laws are the result of the
Reagan era's hysterical war on drugs.

Thanks to laws enacted in the mid-1980s, 57 percent of inmates now in
federal prisons are guilty of drug-related offenses.

Besides belonging to C.U.R.E., Reed is a member of FAMM (Families Against
Mandatory Minimums), created in 1991. Its goal is to reform the mandatory
minimum sentencing laws for drug offenses.

Neither woman is soft on crime. Both believe that law-breakers must be
punished.

But both lobby for "little humanities" for prisoners, as well as reduced
time for drug convictions. Both advocate fair prices in prison commissaries
and reasonable rates for phone service.

If you have read this far and are still not turned off by Jesus'
admonition, you may want to know what you can do. Visitors to prison are
not permitted unless their names are on an inmate request list, but there
are other ways to help.

Mary Thomas, community service director at the Indiana Women's Prison, says
women inmates need clothing, especially size 14 and up. The state does not
provide uniforms for its women. As for men, religious literature, books and
computers are welcome.

For information on C.U.R.E., call Sweet at 1-317-356-2606 after 6 p.m.

Ruth Holladay's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. You can reach
her at 1-317-444-6405 or via e-mail at ruth.holladay@indystar.com